Tag Archives: Chainsaw cleanup

Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup after Hurricane Helene, Troupville Boat Ramp 2024-11-23

Update 2024-11-25: Pictures: Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup after Hurricane Helene, Troupville Boat Ramp 2024-11-23.

Rescheduled to 2024-12-23 2024-11-23 due to water too high and contaminated at previous date after the flash flood.

Join us between the Little River Confluence and GA 133 on the Withlacoochee River seeking deadfalls to chainsaw and trash to collect.

Canoes, kayaks, and other jon boats are welcome to join the WWALS jonboat and outboard. You can also walk along the right bank of the Withlacoochee River.

Hurricane Helene blew down many trees, so we should find plenty of deadfalls.

Nobody has to use a saw of any kind. You can help by photographing, collecting trash, pulling limbs out of the way, or just being there.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 2 PM, Saturday, November 23, 2024

Put In: Troupville Boat Ramp, 19664 Valdosta Hwy, Valdosta, GA 31602. I-75 exit 18, west on GA 133 (St. Augustine Road) away from the Valdosta Mall, at the traffic light for Val Tech Road, turn left down to the boat ramp, in Lowndes County.
 

[Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-11-23, after Hurricane Helene, Troupville Boat Ramp]
Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-11-23, after Hurricane Helene, Troupville Boat Ramp

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Pictures: Red Roberts Little River Upstream Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-09-21

That was a very productive chainsaw cleanup, even though we didn’t even get three miles up the Little River from Red Roberts Landing.

[Many deadfalls, Little River Chainsaw Cleanup, Red Roberts Landing 2024-09-21 Darlene Ray, Paris & Tommy Stoeffler, Tish Hall, Lon Kemeness, John S. Quarterman]
Many deadfalls, Little River Chainsaw Cleanup, Red Roberts Landing 2024-09-21 Darlene Ray, Paris & Tommy Stoeffler, Tish Hall, Lon Kemeness, John S. Quarterman

Here are some video snippets:
https://youtu.be/kw0agoUEObA

It was a nice day down on Rountree Road. Continue reading →

Walking Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup after Hurricane Helene, Troupville Boat Ramp 2024-11-02 2024-11-16

Update 2024-11-15: Rescheduled to 2024-12-23 2024-11-23 due to water too high and contaminated at previous date after the flash flood. Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup after Hurricane Helene, Troupville Boat Ramp 2024-11-23.

Update 2024-11-15: Changed to November 16, 2024, due to schedule conflicts.

Join us, walking between the Little River Confluence and GA 133 on the Withlacoochee River seeking deadfalls to chainsaw and trash to collect.

Hurricane Helene blew down many trees, so we should find plenty of deadfalls.

Nobody has to use a saw of any kind. You can help by photographing, pulling limbs out of the way, or just being there.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 2 PM, Saturday, November 2, 2024

Put In: Troupville Boat Ramp, 19664 Valdosta Hwy, Valdosta, GA 31602. I-75 exit 18, west on GA 133 (St. Augustine Road) away from the Valdosta Mall, at the traffic light for Val Tech Road, turn left down to the boat ramp, in Lowndes County.
 
The water level is well below our recommended low level for paddling, but if you do want to put in a kayak or canoe, you might try sliding it down the sand slope under the GA 133 bridge.

GPS: 30.851842, -83.346536

[Walking Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-11-02, after Hurricane Helene, Troupville Boat Ramp]
Walking Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-11-02, after Hurricane Helene, Troupville Boat Ramp

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Pictures: Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-10-26

The water level was not too low on the Little River, but it was too low on the Withlacoochee River for the WWALS jon boat with outboard. So, there was no chainsawing.

We’ve been waiting for the Withlacoochee River to get down to a level where we can do a walking chainsaw cleanup. With no rain in sight, it will be plenty low next Saturday, so that will be the time.

[Water too low for jon boat outboard, Withlacoochee River, Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-10-26]
Water too low for jon boat outboard, Withlacoochee River, Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-10-26

Thanks to TJ Johnson for driving an hour from Live Oak to get there with chainsaws to lead this expedition, and for helping haul the jon boat back upstream on muscle and trolling motor batteries after the outboard did not restart after Trashy Shoals. Continue reading →

Upstream Withlacoochee River from Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup after Hurricane Helene 2024-10-26

Update 2024-10-27: Pictures.

Kayaks and canoes and jon boats are invited to join the WWALS jon boat with 9.9hp outboard seeking deadfalls to chainsaw and trash to collect. After Hurricane Helene, there are probably new ones. We will go as far up as we can and have time for with sawing, maybe to the GA 133 Bridge, the I-75 Bridge, or even Sugar Creek.

Nobody has to use a saw of any kind. You can collect trash, photograph, video, pull limbs out of the way, or just paddle.

First we will jaunt downstream past the cleaned-water Outflow of Valdosta’s Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant and Spring Branch to pick up a couple of PFAS water sample collection devices we planted on September 14. If they’re still there after the hurricane.

If you’re paddling, you can just turn left at the Little River Confluence and go on up the Withlacoochee River.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 2 PM, Saturday, October 26, 2024

Put In: Troupville Boat Ramp, 19664 Valdosta Hwy, Valdosta, GA 31602. I-75 exit 18, west on GA 133 (St. Augustine Road) away from the Valdosta Mall, at the traffic light for Val Tech Road, turn left down to the boat ramp, in Lowndes County.

GPS: 30.851842, -83.346536

[Upstream Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-10-26, From Troupville Boat Ramp, After Hurricane Helene]
Upstream Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-10-26, From Troupville Boat Ramp, After Hurricane Helene

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Red Roberts Little River Chainsaw Cleanup, 2024-09-21

Update 2024-11-02: Pictures: Red Roberts Little River Upstream Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-09-21.

Come take pictures, collect trash, or pull limbs out of the way. You do not have to saw. Kayaks and canoes welcome, to accompany the WWALS jon boat and 9.9 hp outboard.

Upstream half a mile are two big deadfalls we will chainsaw. Another mile up through Rountree Lake (a wide area in the Little River) is another deadfall. We will see what else we find upstream.

If there’s time, we’ll get another deadfall downstream.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 2 PM, Saturday, September 21, 2024

Put In: Red Roberts Landing, 4727 Rountree Bridge Rd., Adel, GA 31620. I-75 Exit 41, go west, turn right in front of the Horse Creek Winery to stay on Rountree Bridge Road, continue about 5 miles, turn left before the Little River.

GPS: 31.192222, -83.520333

[Chainsaw Cleanup, Little River, Rountree Lake 2024-09-21, Above Rountree Bridge, Red Roberts Landing]
Chainsaw Cleanup, Little River, Rountree Lake 2024-09-21, Above Rountree Bridge, Red Roberts Landing

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WWALS River Revue, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, and Augusteenth on The Spotlight Show, Talk92.1 FM 2024-08-29

Join us on The Spotlight Show on talk921.com at 6 PM, Thursday, August 29, 2024.

Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman and “Diamond” Jim Halter will talk about the WWALS River Revue with the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, coming up in a week. Also Augusteenth: Juneteenth boating again at Reed Bingham State Park this Saturday. Plus chainsaw cleanups, the Okefenokee Swamp, the Ichetucknee Springs and River, and the water quality testing.

[WWALS River Revue and Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest on The Spotlight Show, 6-7 PM, Thursday, August 29, 2024]
WWALS River Revue and Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest on The Spotlight Show, 6-7 PM, Thursday, August 29, 2024

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

Pictures: Jon boat Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-08-25

I think that’s eight big deadfalls and some littler stuff that we sawed, downstream on the Withlacoochee River Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup. Hurricane Debby and other storms left quite a bit of debris.

[Downstream Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park 2024-08-25, 2 jon boats and a canoe, Withlacoochee River]
Downstream Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park 2024-08-25, 2 jon boats and a canoe, Withlacoochee River

We had Phil Royce’s jon boat with 3.5 hp outboard, the WWALS jon boat with 9.9 hp outboard, and TJ Johnson in a canoe.

I think there were four or five chainsaws among us, including the 24-inch Husqvarna 460 that the Wild Green Future Grant paid for, along with the 9.9 hp outboard. Plus TJ’s handsaw.

Here are some video snippets:
https://youtu.be/tuGSugOlTLw?si=xQrAla60gZzeNnkR

So you want to know: after all this sawing, can you paddle from Langdale Park to Sugar Creek? Continue reading →

Upstream deadfalls, Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River, Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-08-25

Update 2024-08-27: Pictures: Jon boat Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-08-25.

I thought we’d just skate up under the US 41 bridge to where Stillhouse Branch comes out of Valdosta Country Club, to see if there was a logjam or trash there.

But only a little more than halfway up Langdale Park to the bridge, we found a huge oak deadfall.

Sawing passage through that took a while. And then we could see an even bigger oak and pine deadfall.

[Upstream deadfalls, Langdale Park 2024-08-25, Withlacoochee River, Chainsaw Cleanup]
Upstream deadfalls, Langdale Park 2024-08-25, Withlacoochee River, Chainsaw Cleanup

Here are a few videos:
https://youtu.be/XB66qmC2XrY

So we turned downstream towards our primary chainsaw cleanup goal of clearing downstream passage.

We being Phil Royce and TJ Johnson from Live Oak, Florida, and Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman.

Thanks to Wild Green Future for the generous grant that paid for the Husqvarna 460 24-inch chainsaw and the 9.9hp outboard motor, as well as the tires on the boat trailer. Continue reading →

Chainsawing deadfall from Langdale Park Boat Ramp entrance Road 2024-08-25

Update 2024-08-25: Upstream deadfalls, Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River, Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-08-25.

This deadfall had been there since Hurricane Debby, 20 days before.

It was in our way to Langdale Park Boat Ramp, and we had chainsaws for the Langdale Park Boat Ramp jon boat chainsaw outing, so we removed this deadfall.

[Chainsawing deadfall, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-08-25, Withlacoochee River, Valdosta, GA, Chainsaws from Live Oak, FL]
Chainsawing deadfall, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-08-25, Withlacoochee River, Valdosta, GA, Chainsaws from Live Oak, FL

We being Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman and two people from Live Oak, Florida: Phil Royce and TJ Johnson.

Do we get paid for this, Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority?

Thanks to Wild Green Future for generous grant that paid for the Husqvarna 460 24-inch chainsaw I used to make the main cuts.

Videos:
https://youtu.be/5AnuFDuwNKQ?si=EAkbbFZU_HTLjZcF

Continue reading →